Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Pine Tree Pirates will participate in a scrimmage August 22 will all proceeds being donated to the Texas High School Coaches Education Foundation Benevolence Fund. This day has become known AS OUR DAY TO SHINE.

The THSCEF Benevolence Fund was established by the Texas High School Coaches Association Board of Directors to assist athletes and coaches with special needs or hardships. To date over 800 schools have participated in OUR DAY TO SHINE and have raised over $245,000.00.

The THSCA has paid over $175,000 to athletes and coaches with special needs.

The 9th grade scrimmage will kick off at 5:00 p.m., Junior Varsity at 6:00 p.m. and the Varsity team at 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Results from the 2013-2014 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores were released from the Texas Education Agency. This is the third year students in Pine Tree ISD grades three through eight were required to take the STAAR, and high school freshman, sophomores and juniors took STAAR’s end-of-course exams in multiple subject areas.

“We are very proud of our students and staff, and the overall performance reported in the STAAR and EOC exams, stated Pine Tree ISD Superintendent, Dr. TJ Farler.

The new system includes the following indexes: #1 - All Student Achievement, #2 - Student Progress, #3 - Closing the Performance Gap among student groups, and #4 Post Secondary Readiness. Post Secondary Readiness applies to all tested campuses.

Recently released data shows Pine Tree ISD's student scores stood above the state and regional trends in the third year of the more-rigorous STAAR test in several areas.

Overview of 2014 Results

The Pine Tree School District, Pine Tree High School, ExCEL, Pine Tree Junior High and Pine Tree Middle School campuses received a rating of “Met Standard”.
The Intermediate, Elementary and Primary campuses recevied an “Improvement Required”.

Highlights for Pine Tree ISD
The district's results were similar to the statewide index results for Indexes {1, 2, 3, and/or 4, as applicable}.
Of the schools rated as having Met Standard, the following schools earned academic distinctions:: Pine Tree High School and Pine Tree Junior High.

“The work and commitment demonstrated by our students, teachers, and administrators in Pine Tree ISD is outstanding,” said Superintendent Farler. “We will continue to strive for high levels of academic achievement in the context of nurturing life-long learning.”

“Our goal is to reach high achievement in terms of the accountability system, but also to realize success in whatever path a student chooses beyond high school graduation. High quality academic instruction is a priority at Pine Tree ISD, along with the development of fine arts, career and technology, and extracurricular experiences so that all students are prepared for the world beyond high school. In addition, we believe it is vital to instill in our students a sense of community, responsibility and citizenship as the key to success in their future,” she said.

Passing the STAAR test is still required to graduate from Texas high schools. In grades 5-8, according to state law, if the student doesn’t pass that attempt they will be retained in their current grade unless a parent appeals and a placement committee unanimously agrees to promote them. To view the STAAR Statewide Summary Reports of 2013-2014, log on to www.tea.state.tx.us.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Pine Tree Independent School District will host Parents Night 2014 August 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Pine Tree Road Auditorium. This year's event will feature Speaker, Writer and Educator Angela Maiers.

Maiers is an education expert and author of Classroom Habitudes: Teaching Learning Habits & Attitudes in 21st Century Learning and The Passion-Driven Classroom: A Framework for Teaching & Learning.
Maiers presentation will be "Building Stronger Students - One Student at a Time"
For additional information contact the PTISD Communications Department at 903.295.5136.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Pine Tree teachers and instructional leaders will participate in a Learning Keys Staff Development August 14 and 15. This year's focus will be "Designing Engaging Lessons".

Participants will:
* deconstruct state standards to understand what students need to know and be able to
master the standard at each grade level
* design student-friendly learning objectives based on the standards
* determine academic vocabulary to be taught and used
* design lessons and assessments aligned to content and rigor of the state standards
* use the framework to design lessons that will engage learners in grade-appropriate learning
activities aligned to the state standards

Friday, August 1, 2014

Pine Tree High School has been selected to participate in Region 7’s Design Thinking Pilot Project for 2014-2015. Region 7 ESC and educational consulting group, NO TOSH, will be partnering for the Design Thinking Pilot Project.

NO TOSH specializes in Design Thinking Schools. The company works with schools to build content, engagement, assessment and creative thinking into one cohesive unit where student achievement is maximized. It is a combination of Project-based and Problem-based learning with a unique twist on thinking strategies.

Pine Tree High School will create their design team which will consist of a group of five pilot team teachers, high school and district administrators. There will be follow up training throughout the year and opportunities for networking and student product demonstrations in the spring.